To Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse Washington, December 1, 1808

SIR,

-- In answer to the inquiries of the benevolent Dr. De
Carro on the subject of the upland or mountain rice, Oryza Mutica, I
will state to you what I know of it. I first became informed of the
existence of a rice which would grow in uplands without any more
water than the common rains, by reading a book of Mr. De Porpre, who
had been Governor of the Isle of France, who mentions it as growing
there and all along the coast of Africa successfully, and as having
been introduced from Cochin-China. I was at that time (1784-89) in
France, and there happening to be there a Prince of Cochin-China, on
his travels, and then returning home, I obtained his promise to send
me some. I never received it however, and mention it only as it may
have been sent, and furnished the ground for the inquiries of Dr. De
Carro, respecting my receiving it from China. When at Havre on my
return from France, I found there Captain Nathaniel Cutting, who was
the ensuing spring to go on a voyage along the coast of Africa. I
engaged him to inquire for this; he was there just after the harvest,
procured and sent me a thirty-gallon cask of it. It arrived in time
the ensuing spring to be sown. I divided it between the Agricultural
Society of Charleston and some private gentlemen of Georgia,
recommending it to their care, in the hope which had induced me to
endeavor to obtain it, that if it answered as well as the swamp rice,
it might rid them of that source of their summer diseases. Nothing
came of the trials in South Carolina, but being carried into the
upper hilly parts of Georgia, it succeeded there perfectly, has
spread over the country, and is now commonly cultivated; still,
however, for family use chiefly, as they cannot make it for sale in
competition with the rice of the swamps. The former part of these
details is written from memory, the papers being at Monticello which
would enable me to particularize exactly the dates of times and
places. The latter part is from the late Mr. Baldwin, one of those
whom I engaged in the distribution of the seed in Georgia, and who in
his annual attendance on Congress, gave me from time to time the
history of its progress. It has got from Georgia into Kentucky,
where it is cultivated by many individuals for family use. I
cultivated it two or three years at Monticello, and had good crops,
as did my neighbors, but not having conveniences for husking it, we
declined it. I tried some of it in a pot, while I lived in
Philadelphia, and gave seed to Mr. Bartram. It produced luxuriant
plants with us both, but no seed; nor do I believe it will ripen in
the United States as far north as Philadelphia. Business and an
indisposition of some days must apologize for this delay in answering
your letter of October 24th, which I did not receive till the 6th of
November.

And permit me here to add my salutations and assurances of
esteem and respect.